I'm Not Perfect But I'm Perfect For You
by lost-n-stereo
Summary: Rachel always turns to Puck when she needs a shoulder to cry on.
1. Chapter 1

So this being the good guy thing? It sucks.

You need someone to help you tp a house or pour soap into the fountain in the park yeah, you call Puck. You need someone to talk to when your boyfriend breaks up with you because you took back your yes to his proposal…yeah not so much. That's exactly what happened though, and now he's got Rachel freaking Berry on the phone and no idea whatsoever to make her feel better.

Chick is out of her mind right now, seriously he doesn't even think he's heard her this freaked out. See, Finn dropped to his knees three weeks ago and proposed. Fucking crazy but that's his best friend and he knows he loves (loved?) this girl. She tells him yes and then her dads (and just about everyone else) talked some sense into her and she told him she couldn't marry him yet. She added the yet too so Puck's not really sure what got him pissed enough to break up with her. Kinda fucked if you ask him.

So that was two days ago, and now she's calling him and asking for advice. Not so much asking for advice really as crying uncontrobally into the phone about how much she loves him and how she never should have taken the yes back.

"I just don't know what to do Noah! He's my everything, I have nothing without him!"

Now that shit just pisses him off. He knows for a fact she's the only person that's going to get out of this town and really make something of herself. He's not about to let her think Finn fucking Hudson is the only thing that's important about her.

"Rach, that's bullshit and you know it." She sniffles and now he feels like an asshole. He really needs to learn how to do this whole good guy thing better.

"Noah, I have spent the last three years in love with Finn. What am I supposed to do now?" He sighs and lays back against his pillow.

"I don't know what you want me to tell you, Rach. I know it hurts, and it's going to hurt. Probably for a long fucking time. You need to know that you're better than him, than this whole damn town. Now you're going to get back to what you do best, kicking everyone's ass at everything. Okay?"

She's silent on the other end and he rolls his eyes.

"Rachel…say okay." She giggles a bit and it makes him smile.

"Okay. I'm gonna go take a super hot bath and see if I can shut my mind off for awhile, I'll talk to you soon." He's trying to get the image of her out of his mind when she speaks again. "And Noah, thanks."

"You're welcome, baby." He hangs up when she says bye, and tries to figure out why in the world he just called her that.

* * *

><p>The next few weeks are fucking weird and he's not sure how else he can describe it.<p>

Finn starts fucking around with Santana, and that makes zero sense to him because he thought she was with Brittany. Then he realizes she's with both of them and it makes a lot more sense. He knew that girl was into dick, he did date her for years before she got with Brittany. So now Finn and Brit and Santana have this weird thing going and it's freaking Rachel the fuck out.

She comes up to him one day in the hall and before he knows it she's pulled him into the janitor's closet.

"Do you still think I'm hot?" He raises an eyebrow and looks down at her hand that's still wrapped around his shirt.

"Are you serious with this shit right now?" She lets go of him and sighs as she leans against the shelves. He wants to tell her those aren't that secure and he's knocked them down more than once but he thinks this might be a bad time.

"Yes, Noah, I'm serious. I don't understand why Finn is doing what he's doing. I mean, yes, Santana is very pretty but she's with Brittany and I just don't know why he'd…" He stops her by grabbing her and pulling her close. He puts his hand in her hair and he can hear her breath catch in her throat. "Noah…"

He just shakes his head and looks into her eyes.

"Rachel. You are the hottest chick in this school. You're the hottest chick in this town, and probably the state. Finn is a fucking idiot." He's got his fingers tangled in her hair and her eyes are fluttering closed. He wants to kiss her but he knows that probably wouldn't be the best thing in the world for him to do right now. She's still so caught up on Finn that she'd probably envision he was him or something. And that shit's just not kosher.

She realizes he's not going to kiss her and opens her eyes to look at him. A shy smile crosses her face as he looks down at her.

"Thank you Noah." She says it so quietly he's not even sure she said it and before he can say anything else she's gone.

He leans his head back against the shelves and closes his eyes. Being the good guy fucking sucks sometimes.

* * *

><p>She doesn't get back with Finn.<p>

That really surprises him, because he figured they would just get their shit together and that would be that. It didn't happen that way though, and now she's heading to Tisch and he's heading to Boston, and he has to say goodbye. It sucks too because they just started getting close, and he is going to miss her. He tells her this at her going away party that Kurt insisted he be in charge of. She smiles shyly when he says it and she pulls him close into a hug.

"I'm gonna miss you too Noah." He pulls away but keeps his hands on her hips. "We're gonna talk all the time, right?" He just nods and bends down to kiss the top of her head.

"I gotta go home to pack but call or text when you get there okay?" There are tears in her eyes when she nods and he squeezes her hip before walking away.

He is catching a train to Boston in three days and he knows that shit will be different. He also knows the fact that he's worried he won't see Rachel much is fucked, and he's not quite sure what that means.

* * *

><p>Boston is fucking amazing.<p>

He enrolls in a local college for criminal justice and he's not sure what he's going to do with that but at least it opens him up for some potentially awesome careers. He thinks about how fucking legit it would be to be a cop and that keeps him from blowing off his classes.

He meets a cute girl in one of his law classes and he fucks her in some college bar bathroom. She gives him her number but he knows he wont call. Those aren't the types of girls you bring home and he knows his ma would flip her shit if he brought home a girl like that.

He stays in the dorms until he makes friends with a guy that lives off campus and that sounds pretty badass to him. The guy, Nick, is 23 and is in serious need of a roommate and Puck agrees quickly. He finds a bullshit job at some coffee place on campus and he pulls in major tips from all the horny college girls that think he's hot.

And he knows he is so he makes sure he gets numbers from anyone that looks interested.

He makes enough to pay his part of rent and to keep his fridge stocked with beer and frozen pizzas and he starts to think that college is pretty fucking awesome.

* * *

><p>Rachel calls him after his crime &amp; punishment class one day and he smiles as he answers his phone.<p>

"What's up gorgeous?" He notices a group of girls standing by him that look at him when he says it and he just smirks as he walks by.

"Noah, you always know what to say to a girl." He grins and pulls his backpack up on his shoulder. "So guess who I've been talking to lately?"

He stops right in the middle of the hallway and he's sure she's going to tell him that she got back with Finn. He thinks that's probably out of the question since last he talked to Finn he was seeing some girl he met while fixing her breaks at the shop.

"Who's that?" He braces himself for her answer and is pretty shocked when it comes.

"Santana. I don't know if you still talk to her but she's working as an intern at some law firm in the city and she asked me to go to coffee with her. Isn't that strange? Well anyways, we had coffee and started hanging out and now we're friends…I think."

He laughs because seriously, Santana and Rachel friends? That's just about the funniest shit he's every heard.

"So you and Satan…that's a really fucked up friendship Rach. I mean, technically you're both my exes."

"If I was only allowed to be friends with girls that aren't your exes in one way or another Noah, I wouldn't be able to make a whole lot of friends." She says it in the fucking sexiest flirty way and he smiles at her snarkiness.

"Well played. So do you guys like talk about Finn's dick or what?" Her loud laugh lets him know she's not still hung up on Finn and he's glad. He was sick of hearing about that fucking guy.

* * *

><p>She starts seeing someone from her dance class and it shouldn't piss him off as much as it does. She calls him one night after a date and he rolls his eyes as she talks his ear off about how great it was.<p>

"Rach…rach..Rachel! Not trying to be a dick but why are you calling me to talk about this? Shouldn't you be calling Hummel or Santana or anyone else?" Guess the not trying to be a dick thing isn't working so well.

"I'm sorry Noah, I just thought you'd be interested in hearing about what's happening in my life." He can actually hear her frowning and he sighs.

"Yeah, yeah. So what's this dude's name? Barney?" She giggles and he smiles as he closes his notebook. He might be in school for criminal justice but that doesn't stop him from writing music.

"His name is Bernard." Puck rolls his eyes.

"What is he, 58? What kind of name is Bernard?"

Their banter of her new boyfriend's name lasts another fifteen minutes before she says she has to go. Early classes suck and Puck's just glad his first class tomorrow doesn't start until after lunch.

"Have fun with your grandpa…I mean boyfriend Rach." He knows if she were actually here he'd get a slap on the shoulder for that one so for once he's glad she's so far away.

"Ha ha ha Noah, you're hilarious." He grins and grabs a beer from his fridge. Living in off campus housing really has it's perks sometimes. "I really have to go, but I'll text you soon. Bye Noah."

He ends the call and pops the top off his beer. He looks at the phone in his hand and scrolls through until he finds the number of a girl that came into the coffe shop today. She's small and brunette and when he's fucking her he tells himself he's not thinking about Rachel, but he also knows that's a lie.

* * *

><p>The relationship with Barney lasts another two months and then suddenly it's senior year all over again and he's holding the phone while she's crying on the other end.<p>

This time she's not as hysterical though and the crying is mostly about how someone could just cheat on her and not care at all. Puck's fists are closed the whole time and all he can think of is finding this piece of shit and punching him in the face as hard as he can. When he tells her that she just laughs through the tears and thanks him for caring.

"Noah, you're the only man I have in my life that is there no matter what. Well, aside from my dads of course, but really…what would I do without you?"

He thinks about their converstion a lot longer that he probably should that night as he's trying to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

It turns into a cycle that make him question her taste in men.

She starts dating a guy she meets in some high tech internet café. He makes fun of her for a good thirty minutes when she tells him that. There are some jokes about pocket protectors and nerd glasses thrown around and she gets so annoyed she actually hangs up on him. She forgives him when he calls her and leaves a super corny voicemail that he prays she will never share with anyone else.

That relationship lasted two months until he broke up with her for being "too intense". That was a three hour phone conversation that he endured to help her work through it.

Then there was Paul , the painter from Idaho. He broke up with her after three weeks because she wouldn't fuck him.

After Paul was Derek. He was a theater major that Rachel was sure she was going to marry. Turns out he would be more interested in marrying Kurt than her and that was the end of that.

* * *

><p>When it's time for him to go home for summer he's fucking stoked because no matter how badass he tries to appear, he really missed his mom and sister. He kisses them both on the cheek when he comes inside and bounds up the stairs to drop his shit in his room. It's like he never left and all of his stuff is exactly where he left it.<p>

The first thing he does is text Finn and Sam to tell them to get their asses to his house for some Halo. Sam reacts just like he knew he would and says he'll be there in twenty. Finn says he needs to finish his work and close down the shop but he's stopping for pizza on the way so it's cool with Puck. He can't wait to just kick back with his boys like old times.

He jumps in the shower to wash the nasty airplane smell off him and is toweling off his hair when his phone rings. He smiles when he sees Rachel's name on his caller id. She's not coming in til tomorrow and he's not embarresed to admit that he can't fucking wait to see her.

"What's up, baby?"

"I'm coming home tomorrow! I can't wait!" He laughs and shakes his head at her excitement.

"You realize you're coming home to Lima right? From New York? How can you possibly be this excited?"

"Because I miss everyone Noah! I can't wait to see my dads, and you and all our friends. I get to see my favorite music teacher for my summer classes. It's going to be an amazing summer, Noah. Just wait and see." He rolls his eyes but he can't help but feel a little more pumped up for the months ahead.

* * *

><p>Santana throws this massive party at her parent's house while they are in Italy and invites almost everyone from their graduating class. He's only seen Rachel once in the week since they've been home and he really wants to see her again.<p>

The time she's spent in New York has done her well. Her hair is longer and she's dressing like a grown up now. When he met up with her to get coffee three days ago she was wearing these tight skinny jeans and knee high boots and he thought he was gonna die from how hot she looked. When he told her something along those lines, she just blushed and thanked him.

He's on his way to get her when she sends him a text telling him she's running a little late and to just come up to the door. He's cool with her dads so when he knocks a few minutes later they shake his hand and let him in. Her dad Hiram asks him about Boston and they spend the next ten minutes or so shooting the shit about his courses and what he wants to do after he graduates. Both of her dads are lawyers so they tell him if he ever needs advice or help with school to give him a call. He appreciates the hell out of them both for that.

Her dad Leroy goes up to see what's taking so long and when he comes down the stairs with her trailing behind, Puck finds it hard not to stare or say something that will make her dads hate him. She's wearing this short as fuck denim skirt and a black tank top with strappy heels at her feet. She looks fucking amazing and he tells her that. Well minus the fuck because damn her dads are right there.

He kisses her cheek because he can and waves to her dads as they walk to his truck. She laughs when she sees it and he raises an eyebrow.

"What?" She shakes her head and laughs to herself as she climbs up into the cab. She waits until he's buckled before she speaks.

"It's this truck. I can't believe you still have it." He scoffs at her and rubs on the dashboard affectionatly.

"Um..it? You mean her?" This causes Rachel to laugh harder and he smirks at her as he pulls out of her driveway. "Good 'ol Nancy has never let me down." She looks at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Nancy? There must be a story about that." He laughs and nods.

"Yeah she's named after Nancy Sullivan…you know Jimmy Sullivan's mom? She gave me a huge tip once…." He laughs harder as Rachel puts her hands on her ears and starts shaking her head back and forth.

"No..no! I don't want to know. Sorry I asked!" He's still laughing as he pulls onto Santana's street. There are cars lined up and down and he rolls his eyes. He parks behind Sam's Jeep and turns off his truck.

"Of course she invited fucking everyone." Rachel slaps his arm a bit and giggles.

"Come on, it will be fun!" He just shrugs and follows her out of the truck and up to her front door. She goes to knock and gives him a look when he just opens it. "Noah! That's rude!"

"Rachel, I have been through every entrance and window in this house. I think I can just come in the front door by now."

"That's what she said." He looks at her shocked when she claps a hand over her mouth. The look in her eyes tells him she is just as surprised that she said it as he is.

"My my my. Look what New York has done to our little Rachel Berry." She gives him a shitty look but then laughs. "Come on, let's get this over with."

* * *

><p>Finn and Rachel in the same room after so long apart is awkward as shit.<p>

Finn gives him a fucked up look when he walks in with his hand on the small of Rachel's back but he just nods in his direction. Dude has been broken up with this chick for months, no way is he gonna feel like an asshole for bringing her.

Rachel sees Santana so she kisses his cheek and tells him she'll meet up with him after she "mingles". He makes fun of her for using the word "mingles" and she fake pouts as she walks away. He can't help the way he checks her out as she leaves. The mini skirt is not helping the feeling he's had all night like he wants something to happen with her. If he's being honest with himself, he's been having that feeling since he was sixteen.

He's grabbing a beer from the fridge when Finn comes up to him.

"Dude are you and Rachel going out?" He rolls his eyes as he closes the fridge door and pops open his beer.

"Going out? What are we in 8th grade?" Finn shakes his head.

"Come on dude, you know what I mean. You guys are here together, what's up with that?" Puck just shrugs.

"I'm not _here_ with her, I'm just here with her. Don't you have a girlfriend anyways, why do you care who Rachel is here with?" Finn grabs his own beer but stuggles to get the cap off and Puck laughs as he pulls his keys with the opener back out of his pockert and throws them to him.

"I don't care. Well, I don't know. There was just always something with you two. In school…it was like she was always drawn to you."

Puck's still trying to figure out what that means when Finn nods at him and walks out of the kitchen.

* * *

><p>They spend the next few weeks swimming in her pool and drinking iced coffee in his room. He knows everyone in their group of friends think that they're fucking but he doesn't really care. He likes spending time with her, more than he's ever liked spending time with anyone.<p>

His ma is eating this shit up too. She came up to him two days ago talking about how sweet Rachel is and how glad she is that they are still _friends. _He just rolls her eyes and tells her to give it up because he's not marrying the girl.

He can't say he doesn't think about what it would be like to be with her again.

They are sitting on his bed one day when she streches her arms over her head and yawns. He's checking her chest out as she holds her arms high above her head and almost doesn't notice when she raises an eyebrow at him.

"Like the view?" If he blushed, he probably would now. He just got caught checking her out and now she's ragging on him? It's like a totally different Rachel. He knows how to play it though, and the only way he ever plays it is cool.

"You know me baby." She just rolls her eyes and leans back against his bed.

"I'm bored. Let's do something." He's just about to say something dirty when she laughs and shakes her head. "Not like that, you perv."

He grins as he gets comfortable next to her.

"So what did you have in mind?" She just shrugs and he rolls his eyes. "You can't say 'let's do something' and then not have any ideas on what to do. That's lame."

"Let's sing something." He groans and it causes her to laugh. "I'm serious! I need to practice and you…well…you need something to do. Come on…please?" He's grabbing his guitar in a matter of seconds and she laughs and claps as she moves to sit by his side on the bed.

"What do you want to sing?" He starts playing a song that he knows she loves and she grins as she starts to sing.

_Lyin' here with you so close to me. _

_It's hard to fight these feelings when it feels so hard to breathe._

_Caught up in this moment. _

_Caught up in your smile. _

He starts singing next and it's hard not to notice the way she's looking at him. She comes in with him at the chorus and he knows she loves the way their voices are blending. He's just about to start his second verse when she pulls the guitar out of his hands and straddles his waist. His hands instintively go to her waist and before he realizes it her lips are on his. She kisses him hard for a full minute before he pulls away.

"Rach…what are we doing?" She just shakes her head and kisses him again and he can'd find it in him to care why they are doing it, just that it's actually happening.

He forgot how good of a kisser she was but remembers the times they did this back in high school when she playfully bites at his lip. She's more aggressive now and he thinks that's probably due to her being more experienced. That thought just pisses him off because he knows she's been with other guys, and that's the last thing he should be thinking about right now.

They don't have sex but they make out for a few hours until she tells him it's probably time for her to go home. He gives her a kiss goodnight and watches her drive away until he can't see her car anymore. He has a hard time falling asleep after that. All he can think of is how perfect she fits with him and how fucking sexy it is when she says his name.

He thinks he might be falling for her. He wonders if she's feeling the same way.

* * *

><p>"Noah, we need to talk about last night."<p>

Those words are the last thing he wants to hear right now. He just woke up from an amazing dream that left him half hard and now she's on the phone telling him they need to talk. Those words never lead to something good.

"Okay…" He hears her take a breath and he never thought he'd be on the receiving end of this conversation. She's talking and he thinks he should probably be fully listening to what she has to say.

"And I just think that we took it a little too far. This is the first time I've really been single, and I think I was feeling nostalgic and I don't know…what do you think about it?"

It's gonna kill him to say it but it's obviously what she needs to hear.

"Yeah, I agree. We're friends, Rach. Friends can make out sometimes, it's no big deal." He tries to make it sounds light and she sounds relieved. He's glad she feels better but it fucking kills him to have to say that.

"Thank you for understanding Noah. I just love you so much, I don't want to lose you as a friend." His eyes close on their own when she says the words and he takes a deep breath.

"You won't lose me. Don't worry about that."

He doesn't think he's ever spoken truer words in his life.


	3. Chapter 3

He doesn't know what to think when she tells him she's in love.

Part of him wants to punch a hole through his wall and another just wants her to be happy. That part might be a tad smaller than the other, but it's there nonetheless. He lies though and tells her he's happy for her and it breaks his heart to know that she's giving her heart to someone else when that's all he ever wanted.

He doesn't put his fist through the wall but he does drink until he can't feel the pain anymore.

* * *

><p>They don't talk as much after she tells him that. She's either busy with school, extra classes or <em>Luke. <em>She texts him maybe once a week now, if that, and it's usually just a "Hey, sorry I've been ignoring you to hang out with my giant douche of a boyfriend." He might be paraphrasing but whatever. He doesn't need the pity texts and he figures she should know that about him by now.

It's around January when he meets Summer. She isn't like anyone he's ever known before. She's a self proclaimed hippie and she wears long skirts and braids in her hair. Puck thinks she's kinda fucking awesome and he tells her that one day. She just smiles and twists a lock of her long brown hair around her finger and instead of trying to get her into bed he asks her out on a date. They go to some vegan restaurant downtown and Puck tries to ignore the fact that all he can think about as he eats his vegan lasagna is how Rachel would get a real kick out of this.

* * *

><p>He starts spending more time with Summer and then eventually she's the only one he is sleeping with so he guesses that means she's his girlfriend. The texts from Rachel keep coming but it doesn't affect him the way it used to. At least that's what he's convinced himself to believe.<p>

* * *

><p>It's barely midnight one night in April when a knock comes at the door of his apartment and he looks at his roommate who just shrugs. Puck sets his laptop down on the couch next to him and gets up to grab the door. The last person he expects to see on the other side is Rachel, but that's exactly who it is. She's wearing a long white coat, a black scarf wrapped around her neck. Her eyes are red and he just knows that she's broken up with her boyfriend. That's her M.O. after all. Instead of speaking he just moves to let her past and points in the direction of his room.<p>

His roommate gives him a look and Puck just shrugs as he follows her in. He shuts the door and decides he won't say a word until she does. It doesn't take long.

"I'm sorry for just showing up like this Noah." She starts to say more but the tears are running down her cheeks now and that's the last thing he wants to see. She cries even harder when he pulls her to him, and they just stand like that for a few minutes. When she finally pulls away, she looks up at him through her wet lashes. "You're always there for me, you know that?"

The way she says it she almost sounds surprised, and it kinda pisses him off that she's just now figuring this out. Instead of telling her that though, he just sits down on the bed and pats the space next to him.

"So what happened?"

She tells him that she had been staying with Luke most of the time at his apartment, long enough that he even gave her a key. That apparently didn't stop him for cheating on her with someone they both knew and she walked in on them.

"I don't know what made me come all the way here. I'm sorry again for dropping in like this unexpected but I just needed to get away from the city. I needed to be around someone that cares…someone that I care about." He looks down when she puts a hand on his knee and his heart is beating faster than he'd like to admit. "Noah, I had a lot of time to think on the train ride here and I really do care about you. I was thinking about that night last summer. I actually think about that night a lot."

He closes his eyes because he's not sure he can handle the direction this conversation is going. He doesn't say a word and she continues anyway.

"Noah, I've been going from guy to guy looking for something that I think has been in front of me all along. I don't really know how to say this, so I'm just going to come out and say it. Noah, I love you."

He should feel elated but instead there is only one thing he can think to say.

"Rachel, you only love me when you're lonely." He immediately feels like shit but he's tired of keeping that inside. The sharp intake of breath he hears just about breaks his heart and Rachel is up before he realizes what's happening.

"I can't believe you'd say that to me." He knows he should keep his mouth shut but she's pissed him off now so he stands up too.

"You can't believe I'd say that to you? Do you remember last summer, Rachel? Do you remember calling me the next day and basically telling me it was a fucking mistake? I've been there through it all, and you've never once given me a chance!"

"You've never asked for one! Are you really going to stand here and yell at me for not giving you a chance when I didn't even know you felt that way? Why didn't you just tell me?"

"You were always with someone! And when you were single for 5 minutes, you practically attacked me then told me it was a mistake. Kinda makes a guy think he's got no fucking chance, don't you think?" She's gathering up her stuff now and he knows he should stop talking but he just can't. "You know I started seeing someone. Her name's Summer and she's awesome. And you know what, she actually likes me. All the time…not just when she needs a rebound." The look she gives him is shitty and it makes him feel like an asshole.

"I'm happy for you Noah. I hope she's exactly what you're looking for." She slams the door behind her and this time he really does put his fist through the wall.

* * *

><p>He breaks up with Summer in June and he thinks it's kind of fitting.<p>

When she asks him why he tells her he's just not cutout for the boyfriend thing. The fucked up thing is, he's lying because he knows that he could be a kickass boyfriend if he had the right girl. Summer might be a cool chick but she's just not the girl for him.

* * *

><p>e's only home a week before he sees Rachel. She's walking through the mall with Santana and she looks so fucking pretty he almost runs into a pillar staring at her. He hasn't talked to her since March and he's about to just turn around and leave when Santana calls out to him. Bitch.<p>

"Yo, Puckerman!" He puts on a smirk and walks over to them.

"What's up Satan, Rachel?" She just nods at him and looks away and he could kick himself for the way shit went down the last time they saw each other. Santana just looks back and forth between them and rolls her eyes. He's sure Rachel told her what went down.

"I'm having a party at my parent's house next week. You should come." A party at Santana's during summer is obviously their newest tradition and as much as he wants to say no he just nods and tells her he'll be there. "And you can like…bring your girlfriend or whatever, if she's gonna be in town."

Now he knows she's fucking fishing and it pisses him off.

"Nah…It'll just be me." He figures that way he's not saying they broke up but he's not _not_ saying it either. Let them both stew on that for a bit. Santana tells him the details and Rachel just stands there looking bored the whole time. He wishes he could just apologize for all the fucked up shit he said but he's not going to do it in a mall, especially not with Santana watching them like a hawk.

So instead he just tells them he'll see them at the party as he walks away.

* * *

><p>Walking into Santana's party this year is a lot different than last year.<p>

Mostly because last year he took Rachel and this year she will barely look at him. He watches her when she's around. Watches her sip her light beer and talk to their friends and laugh like nothing is wrong. She catches his eye once or twice and looks away quickly like his eyes are the last she wants to be looking into.

It's not until most of the people have cleared out and she's a little bit (a lot) drunk that she actually speaks to him. He's sitting on the kitchen counter with a Jack and Coke in his hand and he's laughing as Mike tells a hilarious story about a guy in his dance class falling off the stage during a performance. Rachel comes in and stands directly beside his legs and he can practically see down the low cut shirt she's wearing from his high position but he doesn't say anything to her. If she wants to talk she can say something to him. It's only a few minutes but it feels like forever before she speaks.

"Noah…do you hate me?" Mike looks from Puck to Rachel and then smiles as he does the moonwalk out of the room like an asshole. Puck just sighs and hops down from the counter so he can actually look at her.

"Rachel, don't be stupid. I don't hate you. Do you hate me?" She shakes her head and he can see a tear fall as she looks away. He takes her chin in his hand and moves her face so she's looking at him again. "I'm sorry you know." She nods .

"Me too." He smiles and pulls her into a hug and he can't help but close his eyes as her tiny arms fit around his waist. "These past few months have been horrible, Noah. I've missed you so much." He kisses the top of her head and pulls away so he can see her face.

"Yeah." She smiles because she knows that's his way of saying he missed her too. "Are you staying here tonight, you look like you're about to fall over." It breaks the ice because she laughs and holds up a glass filled with an amber liquid that looks much stronger than the light beer she was drinking earlier.

"Santana made me this…whatever this is…and it seems to be working quite well." He laughs and holds onto her as they walk out of the kitchen.

"Come on…I'll take you home."

* * *

><p>She sends him a text the next day complaining about how hungover she is.<p>

He laughs and offers to bring her hangover remedies but she thanks him and tells him her dads got her some Gatorade & Tylenol so she thinks she'll live. She also mentions getting together the next day for coffee and he tells her that sounds awesome.

He wants to punch himself for sounding so eager but he can't help it. He just really wants that girl back in his life.

It's another week before he meets her for coffee and it's almost like no time has passed at all.

He tells her that he broke up with Summer. She tells him that Luke tried to get back together with her and she told him to "fuck off". She blushes when he tells her he's proud of her for such dirty language.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures."

They talk and laugh as they catch up but Puck wants to talk about what happened before and it's almost like Rachel is forgetting it ever happened.

* * *

><p>They start hanging out like they did the summer before and they still haven't really had the serious talk Puck knows they need to have.<p>

They are having lunch in the park one day when he realizes he's going to have to be the one to bring it up. So when there's a lull in the conversation that's what he does.

"So about…" He doesn't need to finish because Rachel just nods.

"I really am sorry about that, Noah. I honestly can't believe we've gone this long without talking about it. I was really emotional and distraught over Luke cheating on me, and it was so unfair of me to just show up unannounced and tell you the things that I did." She's not denying that she meant them and he's not sure if she still feels the same.

"You said some things…some things I'd wanted you to say for a long time." He feels bare, like he's just laid all of his cards out on the table and he's just waiting for her to say something, anything, so he doesn't feel like a total asshole.

"I wasn't lying, when I said what I said." He's almost surprised when she reaches between them to take his hand in hers. "I don't know what we're supposed to do now, but you need to know that I meant it. Noah, I do love you. And it's not a rebound this time. I haven't even dated anyone since then. I'm not going to expect you to say it back, or to want to be with me, but I need you to know that and…" He cuts her off by leaning over and brushing his lips across hers.

"You ramble a lot, did you know that?" She blushes as he moves even closer to her. "And I love you too. I always have, even when you were a pain in the ass." She laughs and then closes her eyes when he puts his hand in her hair and leans down to kiss her again.

"This is going to be so good, I can tell." He puts his arm around her and she leans into him and rests his head on her shoulder.

He couldn't have said it better himself.


End file.
